Originally released in 2009. Bend skin beats? Music for riding motorbikes through the crowded, anarchic streets of the city. Music for dancing the way you ride that motorbike, slinging your leg over the seat, adjusting your weight -- shoulders forward, butt back -- and holding on for dear life. Bend skin beats were the sound of Douala, Yaoundé, and other Cameroonian cities in the 1990s. André Marie Tala was the blind singer, guitarist, and songwriter who started the craze with his hit, "Bend Skin," but by then he'd been a hit-maker for 20 years. In 1972 he made his first recordings in Paris with Manu Dibango and gave Dibango the idea for his global hit "Soul Makossa." The following year Tala struck gold with "Hot Koki," which James Brown ripped off for his 1975 hit "Hustle!!! (Dead On It)." Between makossa and bend skin beats were his popular tchmassi style and experiments with neo-traditional Bamileké dances, but, unusually for someone famous for his dance music, Tala is also much admired in Cameroon for his intelligent lyrics. This CD includes tracks from 1972 to 1998.